Prior Workshop: Flow: A Creative Journal-Making Workshop by the Sea

Held Sept. 17-19, 2025, in Ocean Point, Maine

The Journal is a place where visual practices of creating images, shaping letters, and arranging words and space all unite in one creative act. Journaling in this way can be a tool of self-knowledge, to handle emotions, link past to future or enhance your humanity. 

Through a series of exercises, participants developed a creative practice of freely, clearly and honestly recording a well-rounded portrait of their own unique world and world view. Students used a variety of media (watercolor, collage and drawing) while creating their pages. Finally, the pages combined to construct an artist’s book/journal with simple binding techniques. Each class lasted approximately three hours.

Example exercise from Flow workshop: “Aesthetic Treasure Hunt” – Most aesthetic reactions are vague, i.e. we know we like something, but we don’t know why. This exercise encouraged discovery of what attracts us individually, allowing a close look at these features. Some attractions form a pattern (such as a cottonwood bark), with repeated shapes, rhythms, color, texture, arrangement of shapes or spaces between shapes. A watercolor demonstration preceded this exercise, and students got to play with these attractive treasures using brushes and paint.

Learn more about how the Flow Workshop went here.

Instructors: Susan Newbold, Illuminated Journal artist, and Eliza Wing, Mindfulness teacher, Life coach, and Journal-maker